Diplomatic relations between India and Solomon Islands were established in May, 1987. Solomon Islands established its Honorary Consulate in New Delhi in 2003. Solomon Islands relations with India are friendly, though low key. Political interaction between the two countries is very comprehensive in multilateral/international fora. The Mission in Port Moresby is accredited to Solomon Islands.

Visits to India from Solomon Islands:

2. Foreign Minister, Laurie H. Chan, of Solomon Islands, visited New Delhi in January, 2005. He was accompanied by Assistant Secretary for Asia Pacific Division, and had discussions with the EAM, Minister for HRD, MoS for Information Technology, MoS for Commerce & Industry and also had the opportunity to meet with the senior government officials and representatives from the Chambers of Commerce, Tourism, Trade, Banking, Aviation and financial institutions.

3. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, Hon. Mr. Peter Shanel Agovaka, attended the Ministerial meeting on 'Harnessing the Positive Contribution of South-South Cooperation for Development of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), held in New Delhi on 18-19 February 2011.

4. A five-member delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Home Affairs of Solomon Islands, Hon. Mr. Douglas Ete participated in the 2nd FIPIC summit held in Jaipur in August 2015.

6. Mr.Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, visited Solomon Islands, in October 2016. This was the first ever Ministerial visit to the country from India, during which he called on the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, H.E.Mr. Manasseh Sogavare, and also met the Power & Mines Minister, as well as interacted with the Indian community. India offered the support of energy efficient LED bulbs and renewable energy in the form of solar lighting to the country. Hon’ble Minister also showcased various ways India can aid Solomon Islands in the areas of IT skill development, healthcare etc.

Areas of cooperation :

4. Solomon Islands has been extending support to our candidates in international organizations. India has been offering assistance to Solomon Islands in capacity building by allocating five training slots per year in diverse fields under the ITEC programme. The Solomon Islands side has, however, not been able to fully utilize the slots.

5. Consequent upon the Tsunami which struck Solomon Islands on April 2, 2007, the Government of India provided an amount of US$100,000 as India’s assistance for relief and rehabilitation of the Tsunami victims. As part of Government of India’s Regional Assistance Initiatives for Pacific Island countries, India offers an annual grant-in-aid of US$ 200,000 for development projects in Solomon Islands. Solomon Island’s government has been requested to provide details of projects to be undertaken by them in this regard.

Trade

6. The bilateral trade between the two countries, though insignificant, are as follows :

(Value: US$ in millions)

India

Exports

Imports

Total Trade

2014-15

5.22

13.47

18.69

2015-16

2.71

67.67

70.39

2016-17

2.31

53.96

56.27

2017-18 2018-19(April to October)

1.281.02

67.7342.70

69.0143.72

Cultural

7. International Day of Yoga was celebrated on Sunday, 17 June, 2018 at Honiara. Around 59 persons participated in the yoga sessions.

8. Mr.Jonathan Auna, Singer, Solomon Islands national sang and got recorded the video of “Vaishnav Jan To” Gujarati poem as a part of celebrations of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Indian Community

9. There are presently about 35 Indian passport holders in the country. (After the coup of May 2000, five Indian families were evacuated from Honiara on an Australian ship, these families later returned to Solomon Islands following the signing of the Townsville Peace Agreement).